


In the Serpent's Nest

by Writer1823



Series: In the Serpent's Nest [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Character Death, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Hogwarts Second Year, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Hogwarts Third Year, Long, M/M, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, The Golden Trio, getsdarker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27983148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer1823/pseuds/Writer1823
Summary: Selene Danner, an American witch, initially planned on attending Ilvermorny, but Professor Albus Dumbledore had other plans. Forced to attend Hogwarts, Selene comes to see the castle as a second home and her new friends as a second family. She finds her place with the Golden Trio and helps their adventures along. But, at the end of each schoolyear, when confronted with Lord Voldemort, she finds her fate is inexplicably intertwined with his. Her mom, now a reformed blood-supremist, swears it's only because her grandparents were his most loyal Death Eaters, but Selene isn't too sure that's the whole truth. Then there's the matter of Draco Malfoy, a boy she finds absolutely frustrating and infuriating, but there's a darkness in him- a darkness that she sees in herself. After the unfortunate Triwizard Tournament, she's spiraling and he's there... will she give into the darkness?(the story starts off PG but will get darker the more it goes on. This fic is really long, so I can't fit all of the stuff into the summary and I might split this up later, but this is all the cumulative years together in one fic. If you want to take it a year at a time, I'll post the first year as a separate fic when it's completely done.)
Relationships: Draco - Relationship - Relationship, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Reader, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: In the Serpent's Nest [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049546
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Acceptance Letters, Unalienable Rights, and Crusty Dogs...

**Author's Note:**

> My literature teacher is literally so mean and I'm so over it. Anyways, I'm so thankful for all of you that have been reading since before my rewriting and I hope you enjoy this new character and this reworking. I hope it's better than before and I didn't ruin it! I'm sorry it's taken so long to get the first chapter out, but I've done a lot of developing the characters and rereading multiple drafts and then rewriting those, so it's been a lot of work just to finish the first 2 chapters. Rereading the draft of the first part of this, I really hated how I characterized her mom and just a couple other characters in general. I wanted the mom to be a little bit of a stronger character and also I just wanna say that the name Miranda comes from the Shakespeare play "The Tempest" and that's a ~teeny tiny~ spoiler I'm going to give you.

It was on Albus Dumbledore’s special instructions that Selene Danner, an American witch, attend the prestigious British boarding school for exceptional young witches and wizards. When the browned envelope arrived containing her acceptance letter, clutched in the long, crooked beak of a small, tawny owl, it was met with confusion by both Selene and her half-brother, Cole. Afterall, owls didn’t just fly into their kitchen everyday. American wizards scarcely used owls if they could help it. No, American wizarding post was far more sensible- they used the USPS, like any normal human being. 

It was through the United States Postal Service that Selene’s letter from the  _ American  _ boarding school for witches and wizards, Ilvermorny, was delivered just a little over a month ago. Selene was hardly expecting an additional acceptance letter, especially one from a  _ British  _ boarding school halfway around the globe. 

She saw the neat, emerald green writing on the envelope marked the letter as her’s and with small, trembling hands (at eleven, Selene was deathly afraid of birds) she took the envelope from the beak of the owl. Quickly, she snatched her hands away with the letter, trying to prevent a nasty bite. The owl blinked at Selene with great, big yellow eyes and flew straight out the kitchen window from which it came. 

Selene broke the wax seal and read the letter aloud: 

_ Dear Ms. Selene Audelia Danner,  _

_ We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance into the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed, you will find a complete list of equipment and books required for the impending school year. Term begins the first of September. We await your owl no later than the 31st of July.  _

_ Yours sincerely,  _

_ Minerva McGonagall _

_ Assistant Headmistress _

_ Professor of Transfiguration _

Selene was about to question her parents about the strange letter, but didn’t get a chance, for another owl flew into the kitchen, dropping a letter in her mom’s eggs. Selene almost had a heart attack, having had not one, but now  _ two  _ giant birds swoop in and out of her kitchen. Selene’s mom opened her letter quickly.

_ Dear Mrs. Miranda Aurora Danner (nee Selwyn),  _

_ Remember your promise.  _

_ Albus Dumbledore _

Selene tried preening her neck over the large jug of orange juice, hoping to catch a glimpse of her mom’s letter. She had just made out the first word, but her mom crumpled the letter, muttered a spell, and set it alight in her hand, reducing it to ash and smoke. 

“Miranda,” her dad said. “You knew Dumbledore wouldn’t forget.” 

“I don’t care  _ what  _ Dumbledore wants, she’s going to Ilvermorny and that’s that,” said Miranda.

She reached for the jam and busied herself by spreading it evenly across her toast, avoiding her husband’s eyes. Selene’s dad sighed. 

“Can you two leave us for a moment?” he asked. 

Selene wanted to listen and opened her mouth to say just that, but Cole had grabbed her hand and led her from the kitchen. 

“ _ C’mon,”  _ Cole whispered. “ _ We can listen by the door.” _

The two of them sat silently in the living room, pressing their heads to the door of their kitchen. They were nearly forehead to forehead and cramped together. She was trying to listen, but smelled a foul scent that viciously assaulted her nostrils. It was Cole’s morning breath. 

“Ugghh, your breath smells  _ awful, _ ” Selene said, turning away from him and covering her nose with her hand.

“ _ Hey! _ ” he whispered. “ _ Keep it down. I swear, you’re lucky I’m even letting you listen.”  _

“ _ I’m  _ the lucky one? You know, for the one without magic-” 

“ _ Shhh,”  _ he hissed, pressing his ear back to the door. Selene rolled her eyes, but followed suit; although Cole was annoying, he did make a point and she didn’t want her parents to catch them eavesdropping. 

“You went to Hogwarts yourself!” she heard her father say. “ _ You  _ even said there was no better school out there. Why should we send our daughter to a second-rate school when Dumbledore clearly wants her?” 

“When I moved away, I swore I would keep her from all that ‘blood purity’ nonsense and I’m going to make good on that.” 

Before Selene’s birth, her mom moved from her home in Oxford, England to the United States. When she arrived, she met Selene’s dad, Logan. He was freshly divorced with his son, Cole and from all accounts, he was quite charming and rather handsome. And although he was a Muggle, they fell in love, marrying quickly. Selene came along and their family was complete.

Long before her marrying Logan Danner, Selene’s mom was Miranda Selwyn- a young witch from a British pureblood family. She was educated at Hogwarts, where she was promptly sorted into Slytherin. And this was all Selene knew of her mom’s life before her dad. It was an unfinished tapestry she had to stitch from fragments of stories her mom had told her over the years. Her mom wasn’t necessarily very forthcoming about her childhood- she didn’t speak of friends or stories from her school or even about her parents. Although eleven-year-olds are anything but perceptive, Selene managed to pick up on her mom’s secrecy and even at her young age, she recognized the strangeness of it. 

“Are  _ you _ going to be the one to tell Dumbledore ‘no?’” her dad asked, snapping Selene back to the present. 

“ _ I’m  _ not going to tell Dumbledore anything. Selene’s our daughter, not some pawn in whatever game he’s playing at.”

“But your promise-” 

“A promise I made when I was nineteen and stupid.” 

“Miranda-”

There was the sound of a bird’s wings flapping through the air and a soft coo. 

“Bloody hell, not  _ another  _ owl,” Miranda swore. 

Cole and Selene heard her ripping paper, in what could only be her opening up another letter. There was silence and then a sharp breath taken by her mom. 

“Oh you’ve  _ got  _ to be kidding me,” she groaned. 

“What?” 

“Take a look at this.” 

Another moment passed in silence in which their father must’ve been reading the letter. When he was done, Selene heard her father softly whisper a cuss word followed by the sound of metal chairs scraping the linoleum floor of their kitchen and footsteps approaching the living room. Frantically, Cole and Selene tried to rush to the couch and pretend they weren’t listening, but they stood up too fast and Selene tripped over Cole’s long legs. She tried to grab something to prevent her fall, but grabbed his shirt instead, pulling him down with her. 

When her mom stepped into the living room, she saw her daughter and step-son in a jumbled heap at her feet, a tangle of limbs. 

“ _ Ouch!”  _ Cole said, rubbing his elbow where he hit it particularly hard on the floor. 

“Oh, don’t be overdramatic,” said Selene, pulling herself up. “It didn’t hurt  _ that  _ bad.” 

“Only because I cushioned your fall!” 

“That’s enough of that,” said Miranda in a stern voice. She obviously wasn’t in the mood to listen to petty childhood bickering after the morning she had. “I suppose you two heard everything- standing outside the door like that.” 

“Only a little bit,” said Selene in a small, hesitant voice. 

“A little?” 

“Okay, we totally heard everything,” Cole fessed up. “But only because you and dad were acting weird.” 

Miranda sighed and pinched the bridge of her small, delicate nose. Selene was expecting a fierce scolding for getting caught but she was thoroughly surprised when instead, her mom walked back into the kitchen, sat down in her usual spot next to her husband, and began to eat her toast. After taking a few bites, she looked to her children, standing bewildered in the doorway and asked: 

“Are you two not going to join us?” 

Selene and Cole awkwardly shuffled in, taking their place at the breakfast table. 

“So, Selene,” her dad said. “There’s been a slight change of plans-” 

“I'm not going to Ilvermorny anymore am I?” she interrupted. 

“No,” said Miranda matter-of-factly in between bites of toast.

“Why?” 

“I suppose I should explain a couple of things to you,” she said. She stopped her eating and placed her fork back on her plate. She swallowed her last bite and continued on,“You see, when I was your age, my parents- your grandparents- were less than accepting of anyone who didn’t share their worldview. My parents were nasty people who cared more about this idea of ‘blood-purity’ than they did their own daughter. Many families at Hogwarts feel the same and so, I thought by you attending Ilvermorny you wouldn’t have to deal with all that pureblood nonsense.” 

“‘Pureblood nonsense?’” questioned Selene. 

To any other British wizarding family, it would’ve seemed strange for a witch not to know about blood-purity and blood-status, in British wizarding families it is an integral part to who they are. 

Wizards in Britain are divided into three groups: pureblood, half-blood, or Muggleborn. Or, if you’re a Selwyn- like Selene’s mom- there’s: royalty, half-breed, or Mudblood. But, Selene is American and  _ not  _ British; to understand her confusion, you must first understand her culture. 

America, founded on their belief in the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, never did quite take with the idea of blood-status and the superiority of purebloods. American Muggles sadly don’t experience the same amount of equality as their magical counterparts, but hey, at least America did  _ something  _ right. 

“Blimey, I suppose I’m not very good at explaining this,” Miranda muttered to her husband. He put his hand in her’s to reassure her. She turned her attention back to her daughter. “Okay, so you understand how I am a witch, but your father is a Muggle, correct?” 

Selene nodded.  _ That’s a rather obvious question,  _ she thought.

“Well, in England this would be a much bigger deal than it is here. Do you remember me telling you how some witches and wizards can have two parents that are Muggles?” 

Selene nodded again. 

“There are some families who look down on witches and wizards with Muggles in their family- mine included. They think that wizarding blood needs to be kept ‘pure,’ free of any Muggle blood. The whole idea is ridiculous, of course, every wizard’s family tree has at least one Muggle; we’d’ve died off eons ago if we didn’t intermingle.” 

“ _ Intermingle? _ ” her dad laughed. “Is that what we’re calling this?” 

“Oh, come off it- I didn’t mean it like that, Logan.” 

“So, your parents, they’re purebloods?” asked Selene.

Her mom laughed. It was a rather dry and hollow sound. 

“About as pure as any wizarding family can get.”

“Wait,” said Cole, who was uncharacteristically quiet during the length of their conversation. “We’re getting rid of Selene for a whole year and shipping her off to  _ England?”  _

“I-I wouldn’t put it like that,” said Logan. 

Selene’s heart dropped. She hadn’t thought about the distance between her and her family- between her and her  _ home.  _ She would be shipped off to the rainy and dreary England, far from all that she knew and immersed in a completely new culture. She had to admit that the idea was not at all appealing and far too daunting for an eleven-year-old girl. 

“M-mom, what if I don’t want to go to Hogwarts?’” said Selene in a timid voice that didn’t quite sound like her own. “I want to go to Ilvermorny- that was supposed to be the plan.” 

“It was, but plans have changed, Selene. If it were up to me you’d go to Ilvermorny, but apparently Dumbledore has other plans…” said Miranda. 

This name, “Dumbledore,” was completely foreign to Selene, but it felt comfortable on her tongue- like maybe she’d spoken it or read it somewhere before. There isn’t a young witch or wizard in the world who hasn’t heard Dumbledore’s name (except Muggleborns, of course). But, you see, this is yet another peculiarity of Selene’s- she was practically raised as a Muggleborn, herself. Her dad was about as ordinary as could be and her mom seemed more than happy to fit in with him. She didn’t seem to use magic very often and only kept a few spellbooks around to collect dust. The only other wizarding family Selene knew were the Proctors. 

The Proctors were an old, American wizarding family and could trace their lineage back to the Mayflower. This was a fact they must’ve been very proud of because they never would  _ shut up  _ about it- but that’s besides the point. Miranda thought it would be good to try to immerse her daughter into “wizarding culture” a bit more so her transition to Ilvermorny would go a bit smoother. The Proctors had a daughter around Selene’s age- her name was Gertrude, which if you asked Selene, she would tell you that was a particularly nasty name, especially for a young girl. 

Gertrude Proctor’s name wasn’t her only setback in life, for she also had an absolutely  _ horrendous  _ personality. She was rude, demanding, and very spoiled as her parent’s only child. When Selene was forced to interact with her, she would always make little snide comments about Selene’s appearance, her clothes, and her family.

Now, here is the thing about Selene, she has no self-control and is absolutely incapable of biting her tongue- it’s her hamartia, her fatal flaw. Somehow, however, during their first couple of visits, she managed to keep quiet. Sure, she might sneak in a snide remark or  _ two  _ during the conversation, but she was generally well-behaved. It wasn’t until Gertrude made some dig about Selene’s teeth that finally set her off. 

Picture this, they were sitting on the floor of Gertrude’s bedroom. The Proctors had one of those white, crusty dogs you always see with rich families. You know the dogs I’m talking about- they always have that weird stuff drooping out of their eyes and gaps in their yellowed teeth, their breath smells awful and they’re always growling and snarling at guests. Usually they’re named something like Bella or Baby.

Well, their crusty, ratty dog was in the lap of Gertrude when Gertrude thought it would be a brilliant idea to tell Selene that she thought her teeth were a bit too big. If my memory serves me well, I believe that she called Selene, “Bucky.” 

Selene was generally pleasant looking, with deep blue eyes and soft brown, curly hair, but like her inability to keep her mouth shut- her teeth were another one of her hamartias, just a physical one. She was very self-conscious about her teeth at that age. At eleven, she still hadn’t grown into them and even though there was a slight truth to what Gertrude said, it still hurt. So, Selene did what any other  _ rational  _ young witch would do- she got so angry that the Proctor’s crusty dog blew up like a balloon and floated straight out the window and down the street. 

Selene and Cole thought this was absolutely hysterical, but the Proctors and Miranda didn’t think the same. It took an hour for them to reel the dog back in and then another hour to fix it. Needless to say that Selene and her family were barred from the Proctor’s house and that was the end of her first and only relationship with a magical kid her age. 

I say all that to say, that when it comes to magic and wizarding culture, Selene is absolutely and utterly clueless. 

“Why can’t you just tell this Dumbledore that I don’t want to go?” Selene pleaded.

“I’m afraid that’s not an option, either, he wrote to Ilvermorny and now their Board is refusing to let you attend school there. Hogwarts is your only option. Now, I think that’s enough of this conversation,” she said with a sense of finality. “Let’s take a look at your school list and see what we need to pick up in Diagon Alley before term.” 


	2. The Leaky Cauldron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry these first couple of chapters are fillers until they get to Hogwarts, but that will come! Thank you for reading!

It turns out they had quite a few things to acquire on their trip to Diagon Alley. Selene read the list on their excruciatingly long flight to London and got dizzy just thinking of all the stuff she would have to haul with her to school.  _ Cauldrons and brass scales? I might as well just take Cole’s set of weights dad got him for Christmas last year. It’ll probably be lighter than carrying around a cauldron and Lord knows he doesn’t use those anymore…  _

At night, when the passengers were lulled to sleep by the sound of those cheesy romantic comedies they always seem to play on planes, Selene found she couldn’t sleep. The initial shock of her  _ actually  _ going to school 5,000 miles away had worn off and she was left with an overwhelming feeling of dread and anxiety. She was considering what her mom had said a week before at their breakfast table; if Britain really had a problem with Muggles in wizarding families, would some of the other kids hate her just purely for the fact that her dad was a Muggle? Then there was the matter of their schoolwork- sure, Selene could use magic to make her own diy-balloon animals, but she never learned any proper spells. How would she do when she had to actually concentrate and focus her magic? She already felt like a righteous failure and the term hadn’t even started yet. 

After an hour of agonizing thoughts, she fell asleep a little after midnight, praying that by some miracle that Hogwarts would fall through and she could attend Ilvermorny and stay closer to home. If only she knew that Albus Dumbledore wouldn’t let her go that easily… 

When the plane touched down in London, the ever-punctual Miranda Danner, pulled a two page itinerary for the pocket of her purse. First on her extensive list: check into their hotel. Her husband had wanted to spend the night in Muggle London, but Miranda insisted on an inn called  _ The Leaky Cauldron.  _

“It’ll be easier to get to Diagon Alley and get Selene’s supplies if we stay there,” she explained days prior. “Not to mention, it can help ease her into the wizarding world a little bit before school- I think we really dropped the ball on that front.” 

“So, this inn… it’s run by  _ your folk _ ?” her dad asked. Miranda laughed. 

“You know, I thought that maybe its name would have given it away. How many Muggle hotels have you stayed in with the word “cauldron” in its name?” she teased. “And Logan, I really wish you wouldn’t call us ‘ _ your folk’  _ you make all of us sound like loonies.” 

“In my defence,” he said. “You  _ are  _ loonies.” 

They shared a laugh. Logan Danner may complain, but for the life of him,he never could learn to tell his wife “no.” So, it was decided- their family would stay at the Leaky Cauldron during the night and explore Diagon Alley during the day. 

After a taxi ride from the airport, they had made it to the inn. For a place her mom had hyped-up so much, Selene was dismayed to find it was rather small and very shabby. It was very apparent the building hadn’t been well taken care of. The paint on the sign was peeling and the flowers in the planters outside the door were dead. Cole took a sharp breath. 

“ _ Is this it?”  _ he asked in disbelief. Surely, they weren’t about to have him stay in a building that strongly resembled a broken-down homeless shelter. 

“C’mon Cole,” said Logan, slinging an arm around his son’s shoulders. “Where’s your sense of adventure? We can’t always stay at a Hilton.” 

“No, but that doesn’t mean we have to stay at a  _ half-way house.”  _

Logan laughed, pulling Cole into the dingy inn. Miranda took Selene’s hand and followed her stepson and husband. 

The inside of the inn was almost as drab as the outside. Worn tables adjoined by wobbly chairs with uneven legs and frayed cushions took up most of the space in the tiny room. The walls were full of pictures of all different shapes, sizes, and colors and their subjects were moving and buzzing from frame to frame and a thin layer of dust covered everything. 

Selene didn’t feel grossed out standing in the inn, it felt more like a Grandma’s house than the half-way house Cole was describing. The low, intimate lighting made it feel homey and welcoming. Selene felt like her mom had made the right call in choosing their accommodations. 

Selene was saying a quick “hello” to a man in a small painting when a wizard sitting in the small, dimly lit corner broke her attention away. 

“‘M telling youse!” he said to the small group gathered around. “It was ‘arry Potter! Right ‘ere in the Leaky Cauldron! Shook his hand and everything!” he was slurring his words and spilling an amber-colored liquid on his green robes. “Crockford saw him too!” 

“Blimey, can it be? Has it already been ten years?” another said. 

Now, as we’ve discussed previously, Selene really didn’t know a lot about wizarding history or culture, so it should really come as no surprise that she didn’t know who about the legendary Harry Potter. Hell, at this point, Harry himself didn’t even know. 

Selene looked to her mom, hoping to find an explanation, but her parents were busy checking in. 

“Last name’s Danner,” her dad told the small, old man at the counter. “We have a reservation.” 

The man’s small eyes swept over Selene’s family, taking them all in one-by-one. When his eyes met Miranda’s he paused, recognition flooding his face. 

“If it isn’t Miranda Selwyn! My- I- I haven’t seen you in almost 10 years!” said the innkeeper. 

A strange thought entered Selene’s head:  _ 10 years? Mom left England over 13 years ago and she’s sworn she’s never returned until now… He must have the dates wrong…  _

“It’s good to see you, Tom,” her mom said politely. 

“Your parents were just here, you must’ve missed them by a few days,” said Tom. Miranda’s hand was clenched by her side in a tight fist; she forced a smile. “Say, where do you live now? I heard rumors you’d moved to Ireland… never really put much stock into them… as if you’d live with those bloody Irish-” 

“America, actually,” she said, interrupting him from whatever spiel he was about to go on. “This is my daughter, Selene and my stepson, Cole.” She gestured to her two kids. “Selene starts at Hogwarts this year.”

“Blimey, time flies! Crazy to think you’ll be in the same year as Harry Potter! You know I saw him just the other day with-” 

“Excuse me,” Logan interrupted. “But do you think we could have the key to our room? We have school shopping to get done.”

Tom nodded, stopping his tangent and reached behind him for the big, brassy key to their room. He placed it in Logan’s hands. 

“Have a nice stay!” 

“Is that Harry Potter kid famous or something?” Cole asked when the large, oak door shut on their room. 

“Huh?” questioned Miranda. 

“That creepy dude at the front desk mentioned him and so did that drunk guy in the funny clothes.” 

“Oh,” she mumbled. “Yea, you could say that. She was unzipping a suitcase and putting its contents in the small bedside table. 

“ _ And  _ he’s Selene’s age? What did he do? Is a member of  _ Kidz Bop?”  _

“That joke was lame,” Selene grumbled, chucking a pillow at his head. Luckily for Cole, Selene wasn’t coordinated and it landed a couple feet to his right. 

Miranda was ignoring them, continuing to unpack. When she was finished, she grabbed the last item placed carefully at the bottom of her bag. It was a small, blue book bound in leather with a splintered spine. 

“Here, if you want to know about Harry Potter, this is the book to read,” she said. She handed it to Selene. “I packed the whole collection for you to read to brush up on some wizarding history if you want. Ellora Gregorovitch used to be my favorite writer as a kid.” 

Selene read the title: 

_ Ellora Gregoravitch’s Collective History of Magick through the Decades- Volume XVIII: Documenting You-Know-Who’s Rise to Power and his Subsequent Downfall  _

“This title alone is enough to give me a headache,” complained Selene. 

“If you don’t want to read it, I will,” said Cole. He reached for the book in her hand, but she snapped it away before he could grab ahold of it. 

“You reading? I didn’t think you knew how. Did they finally teach you in between your algebra and geometry tutoring?” Selene teased. 

She sat on the lumpy, four-poster bed criss-crossed and opened the book. Cole was still rambling, but she ignored him, once she opened a book- she was in its thrall and she couldn’t stop until she’d read every last word. This book was obviously no more than a couple years old, but its spine was worn from use. This surprised Selene because she’d never once seen her mom read a book from her previous life- the life she had before their family. 

Flipping to the back of the book and finding the index, Selene searched for the name she was looking for and then turned to page 236 to read up: 

_ Thousands of Muggle-borns and Half-bloods went into hiding around the globe, trying to escape abroad to avoid the persecution of You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Sadly, few were successful.  _

_ Unfortunately, the downfall of the Dark Lord didn’t come until a fateful Halloween night- when, for reasons still unknown, he entered the home of Lily Josephine Potter (nee Evans), 21, and James Fleamont Potter, 21, respectively. After killing the couple, he tried to do the same to their son, Harry James Potter, 1, but found that his time and luck had run out. The Killing Curse originally intended for the infant boy backfired on the most-feared wizard of our time. The Dark Lord died and wizards everywhere raised their wands, praising the miracle of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.  _

_ After You-Know-Who’s untimely demise, his loyal Death Eaters split apart…  _

Selene had to stop reading; she needed a moment to process. You see, Selene up until receiving her letter from Hogwarts, lived a relatively sheltered life. To Miranda, her daughter was her whole world and one she would protect at any cost. It was no accident that Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter were hidden from her, it was a dreadful chapter of Miranda’s life she would rather like to forget. The things she did were  _ shameful  _ and what she was made to do was even worse- no one could judge Miranda Danner for hiding her past. 

“So this You-Know-Who dude just decided he was going to randomly kill a  _ baby _ ?” questioned Selene. 

“ _ What  _ are you talking about?” Cole asked, snatching the book. When he finished reading the passage he looked confused. “You’re telling me there’s like this wizard Darth Vader that was magically taken down by a  _ toddler?  _ That’s kinda  _ metal,” _ he said. 

“Is that really the  _ only thing  _ you’ve taken from this?” asked his dad, shaking his head. 

“And it’s not ‘metal’ at all Cole,” scolded Miranda. “It was awful. People were scared, Muggle-borns went missing everyday and our newspaper,  _ The Daily Prophet,  _ had to dedicate three-whole pages everyday for the dead and the missing and no can forget what a disaster the Ministry was at the time. The whole world felt like it had come to an end.” 

Selene sat on the dusty bed, trying to wrap her adolescent brain around this dark topic. For the first time in her life, Selene was speechless; she liked to pretend she was older than she was, that she was more intelligent- and in some ways she was, but it was moments like these that truly showed her age. She didn’t feel very old in this moment or very intelligent, she felt lost and a little  _ scared,  _ although she would never admit it. No, at this moment she felt very small and wanted nothing more than to give her mom a tight hug and cling to her, to have her whisper sweet things in her ear and wipe away the bad thoughts. 

Selene was terrified imagining life under the threat of this Dark Lord. She imagined having to flee with her dad, mom, and brother just because of her blood status. She imagined the terror the others must’ve felt leaving their homes and into the danger of the unknown. She visibly shivered. 

“And this wizard,” said Selene, swallowing her fears and putting on a brave front. “Why does everyone call him ‘You-Know-Who?’” 

“Most wizards think his real name is too horrible to speak aloud- most think it’s cursed. Dumbledore’s the only wizard brave enough to say it,” explained Miranda. 

Now Selene’s curiosity was piqued. 

“What is it?” 

Her mom didn’t want to respond, it was a name she hadn’t spoken in years. When she was younger she didn’t even dare call him it- it was always “Dark Lord” or (she hated this one) “Master.” 

“It’s  _ Lord Voldemort,”  _ she said his name in a soft whisper. Immediately her emerald eyes flickered around the room like she was half-expecting him to jump out the closet at a moment’s notice. Selene had never seen her mom look so fearful in her life. 

“But if this Vold-sorry-You-Know-Who is dead, why can’t people just say his name?” said Selene. 

“Because some aren’t quite sure that he is,” she mumbled. “Dumbledore believes the Dark Lord is still out there- weak and vulnerable, biding his time until he can come back to his full strength.” 

Selene felt her blood freeze in her veins. 

“And-and what do you believe?” said Selene in a quiet voice. 

“I-I suppose I’m not sure what to believe, but I suppose Dumbledore has never been wrong before. Let us hope there is a first time for everything.” 

Miranda liked to think he was dead, she’d even managed to convince herself of it for years, but a smaller part of her, a more rational part, knew this couldn’t be the case. The Dark Lord couldn’t have magically disappeared like he did, he would be back and he would come for them when he did. 

Selene was studying her mom, making note of her every move. Miranda was sitting straight-up and as stiff as a board. Her long, slender hands were fidgeting with a button on her cardigan and her dark green eyes were looking off into the distance, the ghosts of the past dancing behind her emerald irises and dragging her off to years she wished would stay forgotten. She felt a tear on her cheek, but wiped it before anyone could see. Then, putting on her best fake smile, she stood and took her daughter’s small, clammy hand. 

“Come,” she said. “I think this is too dreary of a subject to talk about before lunch. Let’s eat and get some shopping done.” 


	3. Gringotts, Flourish and Blotts, and Ollivanders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've applied to so many colleges this week that it isn't even funny. I even applied to a couple in Ireland and I swear if I don't get to go to Dublin next year...

After a quick lunch in the dim, drab dining room of the Leaky Cauldron, the Danner family was ready to explore Diagon Alley. Selene was extremely excited. Her mom had tried to explain Diagon Alley days before the trip, but had been unable to find the right words. 

“You’ll just have to see it for yourself, Selene,” she had said. “It’s…  _ incredible.” _

Now, following her mom to the backyard of the inn, feeling stuffed from their meal of roast beef and potatoes, Selene felt her heart give an enthusiastic jolt, but the exhilaration Selene felt disappeared just as soon as it came when they made it to the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron. Expecting to see Diagon Alley the minute they stepped out the door, Selene was disappointed to see only a solid brick wall and a rubbish bin. 

“Uh, mom- what is this?” she asked. 

The corner of Miranda’s lip tugged upwards in a small smile. She didn’t answer, instead she pulled a long, slender wand from the sleeve of her coat. It was white and carved with elaborate golden vines that stretched from the shaft of the wand to the very tip. 

“You know,” said Cole. “I will never understand why you wizards have wands when a staff is just so much  _ cooler.  _ Just look at Gandalf- my man helped save Middle Earth and he did it in  _ style.”  _

“Okay, nerd,” Selene whispered. 

“What was that, Selene?” asked Cole. 

Selene smiled. 

“Oh, I was just saying that it’s no wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.” 

“Hey!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” their dad said. 

The two of them ignored his warning and continued to argue amongst themselves. 

“I’ll have you know that Liz from down the street said she liked my hair!” 

“‘ _ Liz from down the street?’  _ You’ve got to be  _ kidding  _ me. The one with those huge glasses?” mocked Selene. “Maybe it’s time her parents take her back into the optometrist because she obviously needs a stronger prescription. Although I’m surprised she can see anything past the end of her giant nose!” 

Unbeknownst to Cole and Selene, while they carried on their petty bickering, Miranda was tapping away at the bricks on the wall in a seemingly random pattern. When she finished, she stood back and watched the bricks peel away. 

“You know- I don’t even know why I bother arguing with an eleven-year-old-” Cole started, but stopped when he saw the bricks moving magically. For the perhaps the first (and the last) time in many years, Cole Danner was speechless.

“Yea, because you’re so much more  _ mature-”  _ Selene retorted. 

“Selene look,” Cole said. 

“Honestly, do you not remember last Halloween when you-” 

“Selene look!” he said, pinching her arm. 

“Ouch!” she said, rubbing her arm. 

She went to pinch him back but stopped. 

Laid out before her were rows and rows of peculiar buildings, each of different shapes, colors, and sizes. Hundreds of young children Selene’s age were lining-up along the cobbled street to catch a glimpse at some new broomstick. Men and women dressed in strange, long robes and pointy hats were perusing casually and stopping every so often to look in the window of some odd shop. The whole place buzzed with an irreplicable energy. For a lack of a better word, it felt  _ magical.  _

“This whole place is… just-  _ wow,  _ Miranda,” said Selene’s dad, obviously on the same page as his daughter. 

Miranda gave a smug smile. 

“I  _ tried  _ to tell you,” she said. 

Her husband threw an arm around her small shoulders. 

“Well, what should we do first?” 

Selene knew what  _ she  _ wanted to do first. More than anything, she wanted a wand. For days, she dreamt about casting all sorts of spells. She knew  _ technically  _ she wasn’t allowed to do any magic before the start of term, but she hoped maybe once she got her wand she could find a way around that pesky rule. The whole rule was stupid, anyways. Ilvermorny students were allowed to practice magic at home; why did the English have to be so stingy? Yet again, she supposed it was in their history- they literally conquered almost half the globe and kept it for themselves for about a century… being stingy was in their DNA. 

Selene was just about to give her suggestion for their first destination, but her mom spoke before she got the chance: 

“We can’t do anything until we trade our Muggle money for some Galleons. Then, I suppose we should get her books-  _ Flourish and Blotts  _ is just over there,” she said, pointing to the left side of the cobbled street. 

She took Selene’s hand and marched onwards, elbowing her way through the crowd toward the large marble bank at the heart of Diagon Alley.  _ Gringotts,  _ the large golden sign read. They stepped into the lobby. 

Inside, there were strange creatures with long, hooked noses hunched over large books of numbers. Honestly, Selene was surprised Cole didn’t make another  _ Lord of the Rings  _ joke because these creatures looked exactly like Gollum. 

_ “Jesus, _ ” he asked instead. “What are those things?” 

“Goblins,” Miranda said. “Be  _ polite.”  _

She guided Selene to the goblin closest to them. 

“Name?” it asked in a disinterest voice, refusing to look up from its ledger. 

“Miranda Selwyn.” 

“Ah, Selwyn. Vault 245 if my memory serves me right. Do you have your vault key with you here today?” 

“Er- no. I would prefer to exchange my Muggle money for some Galleons.” 

The goblin gave her a long look, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Miranda held firm, maintaining eye contact. 

“Of course,” he said finally and went about exchanging the money. 

“Goblins,” Miranda was saying as they exited, wizard money in tow. “The whole bloody lot of them are too involved in the business of wizards. Did you see the way that one in there looked at me? Like it’s any of his business I’m exchanging Muggle money!” 

Cole was ignoring her, he had stopped to look into the window of an ice cream shop. 

“Dad, look!” said Cole. Logan stood beside his son, peering into the window. “That ice cream just made that kid breath fire! We  _ have  _ to try this!” 

Logan looked to his wife. She sighed. 

“Here,” she said, putting a couple of silver coins in his hand. “Take Cole in there while I get school books with Selene. That should be more than enough.” 

She pulled Selene away and left her husband and step-son to try to fire-breathing ice cream. 

“Hey! Maybe I wanted to try it too!” Selene protested. 

“I really don't think you do,” said her mom, a smile tugging on her lips. “It’s rather painful. It feels like you ate a bunch of jalapenos.” 

Selene and her mom shared a laugh. 

“Okay, but now I wish I could  _ watch _ .” 

“Don’t worry, speaking from experience, the ice cream lasts for a long time. If we get lucky, they’ll still be breathing fire when dinner comes around.” 

They laughed again, squeezing their way into a very crowded Flourish and Blotts. Tons of schoolchildren and their parents were milling about the shop. Bookshelves lined with some of the strangest books Selene had seen in her life, were adjourning every wall from the floor to the ceiling. Between the thousands of books and the hundreds of people, Selene should’ve felt claustrophobic, but she was too engrossed in reading the titles of all the books. She was reaching for a bottle green book that had caught her eye, but someone bumped into her from behind and she lost her footing. She stumbled back, grabbing a shelf at the last second to prevent herself from falling to the ground.

“Watch where you’re going,” said a cold voice. 

It was a boy with smooth pale skin, platinum blond hair, and eyes like grey marble. He had an arrogant scowl that seemed to be permanently fixated on his face. Selene could already tell she  _ did not  _ like this boy. 

“ _ You _ bumped into me,” said Selene, face flushing in anger. 

A blonde woman squeezed through the crowd to stand beside the cold boy. She was carrying a cauldron full of books.

“Come, Draco, I got your-” she started, but stopped when she saw Selene’s mom elbowing her way through the crowd toward her daughter. “Miranda Selwyn?” 

“ _ Narcissa _ ?” Miranda breathed, placing a protective hand on Selene’s shoulder. 

“I haven’t seen you since…” Narcissa trailed off. Then changing the subject, she pushed the boy beside her to her front. “This is my son, Draco. I don’t think you got a chance to meet him before…” she trailed off again. “He’s starting Hogwarts this year.” 

“So is my daughter, Selene.” 

Narcissa’s cool eyes turned to Miranda’s daughter, taking her in for the first time.

“ _ Goodness,  _ she does look just like him, doesn’t she?” 

Selene thought she saw her mom grit her teeth. 

“They all grow up too fast,” Narcissa was saying. “It feels strange to say Draco is starting at Hogwarts this year. Have you been to Madam Malkins yet?” 

Miranda shook her head. 

“You had better hurry, she doesn’t carry a lot of house robes in first-years’ sizes before the start of term and she’s almost out of Slytherin. I took Draco there first thing to make sure he had his pick.” 

“Why would I buy house robes for Selene this early? Term hasn’t started yet.” 

Narcissa chuckled. 

“Oh please, we both know she’ll be in Slytherin. How could she  _ not?  _ And Severus is the only decent Head of House Hogwarts has. I would buy the robes just for wishful thinking- lest you want her with Professor Sprout, or Professor McGonagall, or  _ Merlin forbid  _ that half-breed Flitwick,” she said and put on a sneer identical to that of her son’s. 

Miranda’s emerald green eyes darkened. 

“I don’t suppose I care what house my daughter is in,” she said in a low voice. 

Narcissa seemed taken aback, her blue eyes turned cloudy and her delicate brows furrowed. Her aristocratic features didn’t look very pretty all squished together like that. 

“A Selwyn who doesn’t want their kid in Slytherin? You know, I’ve heard rumors about you, Miranda, and I always defended you, but maybe there was some sliver of truth to them... Tell me you don’t agree with Dumbledore now and letting  _ them  _ in now?” 

“I’m sorry, Narcissa, but if you’ll excuse us- Selene and I have some school shopping to finish up,” Miranda said with a sense of finality. Their conversation was over. 

“Of course. It was lovely to see you again, Miranda. I’ll send Lucius your regards,” said Narcissa, her voice ice-cold. 

“Over here,” Miranda said, pulling Selene away from the scowling boy and his mom to a small corner of the bookshop. She started scanning the shelves for the books on the slip of parchment she held in her hand. When she found the book she was looking for, she’d cross reference it with her list and then mark them off one-by-one with her quill. 

“Mom?” Selene asked, hesitant to break her mom’s concentration. “Who was that?” 

“Narcissa Malfoy,” she answered, eyes never wavering from the booklist and voice tinged with annoyance. “We went to school together.” 

“And that ‘Slithering’ house she was talking about- what is it?” 

Miranda gave a small giggle, annoyance fading away. 

“It’s  _ ‘Slytherin’ _ and it's the house we were both in at Hogwarts. You’ll see when you get there, Selene.” 

“Did you get to choose what house you were in?” 

“Merlin, no,” she said. “The Sorting Hat tells you where it wants you to go.” 

She grabbed a lavender book off the shelf and put it in her daughter’s arms. 

“Now, I believe that’s the last of your books.” 

After finishing up at Flourish and Blotts, they stumbled out onto the narrow street, arms full of heavy spellbooks. 

“What’s next?” Selene asked, narrowly avoiding a young kid running up and down the sidewalk. The last thing she needed was to almost fall a second time in the span of an hour. 

Miranda was surveying the shops, trying to find the one with the least amount of people. She wasn’t in the mood to run into any more school friends, especially when they might put questions in Selene’s head- questions she wasn’t ready to answer just yet. 

“Ollivanders doesn’t seem busy at all,” she said. “Let’s go see about getting you a wand.” 

Selene’s heart beat with excitement. In her mind, a wand was the very first step toward casting magic,  _ real magic.  _ She didn’t want to accidentally turn crusty dogs into balloons, she wanted to be able to do magic that meant something and a wand meant she was well on her way there. 

The wandmaker’s shop, observed Selene, was very similar to the bookstore they had just left; it was stacked floor to ceiling with shelves filled with boxes. Stacks of wand boxes laid haphazardly all over the floor. A thin layer of dust covered everything. The shop looked as though it hadn’t been inhabited in years, but it buzzed with an indescribable energy. 

Miranda had made her way up to the counter. Behind it, an old man with black, intelligent eyes and some wicked side-burns was examining a small, grey wand with a monocle. His eyes flickered up when she approached. 

“Ah, Miranda Selwyn,” said Ollivander with a smile. “Twenty years exactly since you first appeared in my shop. 11 ¼ inches, hawthorn with a unicorn core- best suited for your penchant towards healing magic, but very unusual for a Slytherin. Hard wand to master, but also extraordinarily loyal… Now, what can I do for you?” 

“My daughter, Selene, is starting at Hogwarts this September. She’ll be needing a wand.” 

His bright eyes flickered to Selene’s. 

“Ah, yes,” he said. 

He stood and went about measuring Selene’s arms, legs, height, and even the length of her fingers. 

“Let us see if you share your mother’s talent for healing…” said Ollivander. 

He climbed a small ladder and pulled a purple box off the shelf. 

“9 ½ inches, hawthorn- like your mother’s- and a unicorn core. Go on, give it a try.” 

Selene turned the wand the wand over in her hand. The wood felt very foreign and cold in her palm. Nervously, she gave it a flick. Nothing happened. 

“No, that’s not it,” he said. He snatched the wand away. He started muttering to himself. “Should’ve known by the wrist she’s a natural duelist.” 

He pulled another box from the bottom of a shelf. 

“Give this one a try,” he said, placing it in her hand. “It’s 10 ½ inches, ebony with a dragon core. Suited for duelling.” 

She raised her hand up to wave it, but he snatched it from her hand before she could follow through. 

“Not it at all,” he mumbled. 

And that’s how it went: wand after wand after wand was given to Selene, but none seemed to take a liking to her. A pile of boxes began to pile up at her feet and around 50 or so wands, Selene could no longer see her knees. 

“Hmmmm…” Mr. Ollivander was saying to nobody but himself. “How peculiar. I wonder… No, it couldn’t- but maybe…” 

The wandmaker went behind the counter and pulled out a slender green box. He slowly took the wand from its box, handling it very carefully. The wand was a dark brown and very plain, except for the elaborate snake carved around the handle that extended to the tip. He placed it into Selene’s hands. 

Immediately, Selene felt a warmth flow from her wrist to the very tips of her fingers. She felt a strange buzz from the wand as if it was vibrating. In simpler terms, the wand felt  _ alive.  _

Selene flicked it and there was an immediate reaction. The boxes that littered the floor from her previous failed attempts had now neatly arranged themselves back to their respective spots on the shelf. 

“Curious… Yes, how curious, indeed…” he was mumbling again, before looking at Selene. “Do you know why this is so strange?” 

Selene shook her head. 

“Ah, I don’t suppose you would.” he gave a small laugh. “Well, this is a wand that quite frankly, never should have been made. It’s carved from Elder- a very finicky wood, but capable of very,  _ very  _ powerful magic. Elder wands seldom bond with a witch or wizard and when they do, it is a struggle to keep their loyalty, but once an Elder wand finds their match, their wizard- or I suppose witch in this case- is marked for a very special destiny. 

“Now, I suppose I should talk about its core- or in this case,  _ cores _ . When I first started in wand-making, I had wanted to experiment with different cores and woods. In the folly of my youth, I decided to make a wand whose power would be unrivaled by any other and thus, your wand was created. What I didn’t take into account was the temperament of the cores I used. You see, in your wand, you have a phoenix feather, but I decided to use a basilisk scale as a second core.” He took a deep breath and continued on.

“Phoenix cores are naturally drawn to Light Magic and are very well suited towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, but basilisk scales seem to be drawn in the opposite direction. Once I realized my mistake in the mismatched cores, I knew the wand wouldn’t sell- for I believed no witch could be capable of balancing the two cores, of balancing both Light  _ and  _ Dark Magic. I believed the wand would sit locked away behind my counter as a priceless artifact and nothing more, but I suppose now I see how wrong I was.” 

Selene was looking to her mom, unsure what to say. From what Mr. Ollivander had said, she didn’t understand if her ownership of this Elder wand was a good thing or not. 

“Is there no other wand?” Miranda asked quietly. 

Ollivander seemed quite taken aback, it probably wasn’t everyday that someone questioned his ability to pair wands with their wizards. 

“I-I’m afraid not. The wand chooses the wizard and strangely, this wand has chosen your daughter. You should be proud, this wand proves your daughter is destined to be a very famous witch.” 

Miranda responded by sliding him three Galleons and grabbing the box containing the wand from the counter. She started ushering Selene out the door before Ollivander stopped them. 

“I just want to warn you before you go,” he said. “The power inside that wand can sway either way- Light or Dark. I hope for the world’s sake you favor the phoenix core.

“Now, goodbye, young Selene. I suspect I’ll be hearing more about you in the future.” 

Selene’s mom was very quiet for the remainder of the day. She was quiet throughout the rest of their school shopping and she couldn’t even spare a laugh when, during dinner, Cole went to burp and flames shot out of his mouth. Selene had nearly spit out her lambchop when she saw it, but clearly her mother’s mind had been elsewhere- she didn’t even spare a smile. 

That night, Selene laid awake, unable to sleep due to the excitement of the day’s events. As she tossed and turned in her lumpy four-poster bed, listening to Cole snore, she thought about her mom’s strange reaction to seeing her old friend in Flourish and Blotts and then her reaction to Selene’s new wand. Something was amiss, she just couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. 

Years later, when Selene looked back on this day, she wished she paid more attention to the little details, she wished she paid more attention to her mom’s small reactions. The truth was there, hidden in plain sight, but she didn’t look hard enough. Thankfully, as Selene would later learn, time digs up even the most carefully buried secrets. 


	4. All Aboard the Hogwarts Express...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sorting ceremony is the next chapter and I’m super curious what house you think Selene will be in, so comment what house you think she is. Thank you all for reading 💕

After returning to America, the rest of Selene’s summer break passed with relative ease. The key word:  _ relative.  _ Selene wasn’t too pleased when her mom told her she wasn’t allowed access to her wand before the start of term. Selene responded by levitating glass tea cups above the kitchen table sending them crashing into the walls. Her parents didn’t find it nearly as funny as Cole did and she was grounded until she “got a better handle on her emotions.” 

After a week of no flying teacups or any other incidents, her grounding had come to an end and it was time to return to England. Her new leather trunk was absolutely packed to the brim with new spell books, robes, Muggle clothes, potion supplies, a set of Ellora Gregoravitch’s complete works, and various other equipment needed for spellcasting. Selene tried to smuggle in a Muggle cellphone for an easier line of communication to her parents and Cole, but her mom caught it last minute. 

“I don’t know how many times I have to explain this to you, Selene,” she said. “This won’t work on school grounds. If you want to talk to us you’ll have to actually pick up a quill and write. Borrow an owl from the school’s Owlery if you need to.” 

Selene noticed there was a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. She’d wanted to buy Selene an owl during their Diagon Alley trip, but Selene had adamantly refused. She knew she’d have to get over her fear of birds soon, especially since it was going to be her only way to communicate with her family at Hogwarts, but their beaks just looked so  _ sharp  _ and their eyes constantly reminded her of this Congolese legend she’d read a while ago. In the legend, owls would swoop down and steal the souls of the dead, storing them in their eyes and condemning them to eternal misery; the whole story was just extremely creepy and she wasn’t about to take any chances of damning her soul for all eternity. 

On the day of their flight back to England, Selene had to wake at an ungodly time. Her dad insisted they get to the airport way earlier than needed. Unfortunately, for his sake, they actually ended up running late. Cole had refused to get up and he hadn’t even packed yet and Selene was in a rather foul mood, having waken up as early as she did. The whole morning was spent in a vain scramble to get things done in a timely manner. Miranda burned breakfast while helping Cole find his missing phone and their dad packed the car, complaining about the weight of each piece of luggage as he went. 

When the Danner family had finally loaded up in their Subaru, every member was extremely crabby. Selene and Cole felt extremely cramped in the back seat, her trunk was taking up most of the room, and they spent most of the ride arguing. 

In a rare moment of bliss, their arguing ceased on the long flight- but only because they spent the entirety of it passed out in their seats. Logan even took a picture of his daughter spread out across her tray table, drool dripping out the side of her mouth. It was a photo that was far from flattering, but he wanted to commemorate the moment before it was gone and she was off to school for a whole year; there was also the added bonus of him using it as a source of future embarrassment. 

They spent the night in a hotel, ready to wake up in the morning and send Selene off to school and off into the unknown. In the morning after free, complimentary breakfast and a rainy cab ride, they arrived at King’s Cross station. Selene’s heart was pounding with adrenaline while her dad loaded her trunk. Taking the cool, metal handle of the trolley, Selene pushed her way inside the crowded train station. Practically sprinting, she went ahead of her group, counting each platform she passed:  _ okay, there’s 8, 9, and 10… where’s 9 ¾?  _ She came to an abrupt stop, turning behind her and finding her mom amongst the crowd. Miranda was elbowing her way through and came to stand beside her daughter. 

“Here,” she told her daughter. “You’re going to want to run straight ahead at that brick wall right there.” She pointed to the wall in between platforms nine and ten. “The platform is just through there.” 

Selene couldn’t help herself- she laughed. 

“You just want to see me fall don’t you?” she asked. 

“I’m dead serious. Just take your trolley, center it, and run through it.” Sensing Selene’s hesitancy, she sighed. “ If you don’t trust me, then I’ll go with you.” She slung an arm around Selene’s shoulders. Selene centered her trolley. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.” 

They began their sprint. Selene saw the brick wall coming closer and closer. She closed her eyes, bracing for an impact that never came. When she opened them, she saw a bright, crimson train with fat clouds of billowing steam. Kids were kissing their parents goodbye, Muggles and wizards alike milled about, and she saw numerous children carrying toads.

“You ready?” her dad asked. He must’ve run through with Cole after Selene and her mom did. 

Selene gave a hesitant nod. 

“Yea, I think so.” 

He took Selene’s trunk and loaded it while she stared, continuing to take everything in. An older group of students in green ties caught her attention; they were using their wands to turn their quills into birds that were flying around and attacking younger students. When her dad returned, he trapped Selene in a tight hug. 

“I’m going to miss you,” he said, voice cracking. 

“Dad are you crying?” Cole asked. 

“Something’s in my eye.” 

He released Selene and she turned to her mom, arms outstretched. Her green eyes looked a little bit watery, as well. 

“I know you’re going to love Hogwarts, Selene, but you mustn't forget to write,” she said, wrapping Selene up in her arms. 

“I wish you’d let us get you an owl,” Logan mumbled. 

_ Yea, fat chance,  _ thought Selene. When her mom let her go, she gave Cole a small hug. It didn’t last very long for obvious reasons. 

“You know,” he said when he released her. “I think I might actually miss having you around, Selene. Who else am I going to get to cover for me when I throw eggs at the Mccauly’s house again?” 

_ “You do  _ **_what_ ** _ now?”  _ Logan asked. 

“It’s a joke, dad!” said Cole. “I swear!” 

Their dad breathed a sigh of relief. Cole winked at Selene. He wasn’t joking, they had actually thrown eggs at the Mccauly’s house during the spring, but in their defense, the Mccaulys really did deserve it.

“I think you should go get a seat before all the good ones are taken,” said Miranda. She must’ve seen the nervous look on Selene’s face because she followed it by saying, “I promise we’ll be here until the train pulls away.” 

Selene nodded, swallowing her nerves. She gave everyone another quick hug and promised to write everyday. She took a deep breath and with shaky knees, she boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Inside, she managed to find one of the few empty compartments left. She was far too nervous to approach any of the other students to ask if she could sit with them. Instead, she opted 

to sit alone and wait for one to approach her. It was far less intimidating this way- to make someone else make the first move. So, Selene sat, anxious as could be, fidgeting with a small hole in the sleeve of her sweater and hoping for someone to join her. 

Selene got her wish, when not even a minute after she sat down, the door to her compartment slid open. In the doorway was a small, scrawny boy with untidy black hair and round glasses. 

“D-do you mind if I sit here?” he asked, pointing to the spot opposite to Selene. His voice trembled, indicating he was just as nervous as Selene. This made Selene feel better, knowing that there was someone else just as scared as her. 

“Sure, go ahead,” she said.

He took his seat and turned his head to look out the large window of their compartment, staring at all the parents that stayed behind to wave goodbye to their kids. Selene noted there was a strange sadness in his opal eyes. 

A moment passed in silence where Selene couldn't think of anything to say to the boy and he seemed more than content to continuing gazing out the window. Selene usually never had trouble finding the right words- or the wrong words, even; but as she sat in the plushy seat of her compartment, she couldn’t quite find the ones that would suit this awkward moment. 

It wasn’t until the compartment door slid open again that the boy was broken out of his trance, taking his eyes off the window. At the door this time was a tall, skinny boy with fiery red hair and a face dotted with freckles. 

“Anyone sitting there?” said the redhead. He pointed to the empty seat next to the boy. “Everywhere else is full.” 

He shook his head and the redhead sat down. Another awkward silence followed. 

Shortly after the new boy took his seat, two identical teenagers with hair as flaming as the redhead now sitting in Selene’s compartment, opened the door once more. 

“Did we introduce ourselves, Harry?” one of the twins asked. 

“We’re Fred and George Weasley and this is our brother, Ron,” said the other, gesturing to himself, his twin, and his younger brother sitting next to Harry. “See you later then.” 

They slid the compartment door shut, leaving the three of them alone. Selene expected more really awkward silence, so she was rather surprised when the boy who could only be Ron, decided to speak:

“Are you really Harry Potter?” he blurted the minute the door closed. 

Harry nodded, pushing his bangs up to reveal a scar shaped like a lightning bolt on his forehead. 

“What a minute-  _ you’re  _ Harry Potter?” said Selene in shock. 

The way she said it came off a tad bit rude, but she didn’t mean it that way- she was surprised is all. She didn’t know what she expected when she met  _ the  _ Harry Potter, but when she pictured him, it certainly wasn’t as a scrawny kid with broken glasses held together by a piece of Scotch tape, wearing clothes ten sizes larger than necessary. No, she pictured some Superman-esque kid tackling Lord Voldemort head-on. Now, I know that sounds silly, but most 11-year-olds’ imaginations are. 

“Yea, I’m him,” Harry said glumly. 

“Blimey,” said Ron, turning his head to address Selene for the first time. “And  _ you’re  _ American?” 

“Oh,” said Selene. “Yea, I guess I forgot I have an accent over here. I was supposed to go to Ilvermorny, but my mom went to Hogwarts, so here I am. My name’s Selene, by the way.” 

“Did your dad go to Hogwarts as well, then?” questioned Ron. 

“No,” said Selene. “He’s a Muggle from Maine, actually.” 

“Say, Harry,” said Ron. “Weren’t you sent to live with Muggles, too? What were they like?” 

“ _ Horrible-  _ well not all of them, just my cousin. Wish I’d have three wizard brothers,” Harry said rather gloomily. 

“Five, actually,” corrected Ron. “I’m the sixth in my family to go to Hogwarts. Bill and Charlie have already graduated. Bill was HeadBoy and Charlie was Quidditch captain. Percy’s a prefect and then there’s Fred and George. They joke around a lot, but they’ve actually got some good marks and everyone likes them. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others. It sucks having six siblings, you know, you never get anything new.” 

Ron pulled out a fat, gray rat from his jacket pocket. Selene noticed that it didn’t smell too pleasant and it resembled a ball of slime or a gray blob more than it did an actual living and breathing rat. 

“This is Scabbers, he’s useless. Percy got an owl and I got his old rat.” 

Ron’s ears instantly went pink; he’d said far too much. Selene instantly empathized with him. Clearly he shared everything with his brothers, including his parents overwhelming expectations. It would be a lot to live up to five older brothers with that long of a list of accomplishments. Selene was glad she didn’t have any magical siblings. In fact, for once, she felt rather grateful to have Cole as a brother- the most he’d ever managed to accomplish was maintaining straight C’s for a semester and even that had been a challenge. Not because he wasn’t smart of course, but because he was too busy trying to get some girl down the street to actually acknowledge his existence.

To comfort Ron, Harry launched into tales about having to wear his fat cousin's clothes and the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of his aunt and uncle. He even talked about how he’d never received any birthday presents. 

“Besides,” Harry said. “I bet you’ll do better than me. I didn’t know I was a wizard until recently and I still have loads to learn.” 

“You and me both,” muttered Selene. 

Ron had grown up in a household all full of wizards and magic, he must know a bunch about spells and potions, and Selene didn’t know  _ anything.  _

“I bet I’m the worst in our class,” she said. “I practically grew up as a Muggle. The most magic I’ve managed to do is send an ugly dog flying down a street.”

Ron looked confused, as did Harry, so Selene decided to explain her fateful experience with the Proctor family. When she finished her story, Ron and Harry’s stomachs hurt from laughter. 

“I don’t think you’ll be the worst,” Ron breathed in between laughs. “A bunch of students come from Muggle families and they catch on quick enough. Besides, I would imagine it took a great deal of magic to blow up that dog.” 

Ron’s words made Selene feel slightly better. If Muggleborns could catch up, then why couldn’t she? 

They’d spent the next few hours talking and laughing, ignoring the outside world as the train passed through rolling emerald green hills, lush with vegetation and past fields of noisy cows and sheep.

It wasn’t until a plump woman with a large head and rosy cheeks slid the compartment door open that they stopped their chatter. 

“Anything off the trolley, dears?” she asked sweetly. 

Ron's ears went pink once more and he mumbled something about his mom packing him sandwiches, whereas Selene and Harry shot up at once. They both were extremely hungry after their traveling. Selene was lucky that her mom had planned ahead and given her a couple of Knuts just to buy some sweets. She bought a couple of licorice wands, Chocolate Frogs, and Every Flavor Beans.

Harry and Selene carried their haul back to their seats. Harry dumped his gigantic pile of candy in the middle of him and Ron. Selene noticed that Ron looked a little downtrodden when staring at the sweets. 

“Well,” Harry told Ron. “Go on and have a pasty.” 

Ron smiled and swiped a licorice wand from Harry. 

“These are my favorite,” he said. “When you eat them they turn your teeth purple.” 

He ate the wand and then turned to give Selene and Harry a giant smile. Sure enough, his teeth were a dark, licorice purple. Selene giggled, unwrapping a chocolate frog. She picked a card up from inside the wrapper. A picture of an old man with a long beard stared back at her. Selene turned the card over to read the back: 

**_Merlin_ **

_ Best known for his defeat of the Dark Sorceress (Morgana), Merlin also discovered the 100 essential healing herbs. Many of his healing practices and plants are still in use today in modern medical procedures…  _

“What’s this?” Selene asked Ron. 

“Oh, Chocolate Frog cards. Each package has one, you collect them. Who’d you get?” 

“Merlin.” 

“Oh, he’s very common. I have loads of him at home.” 

Harry, curious, grabbed a Chocolate Frog from his pile. Unwrapping the frog, he took the card from the package. It was Albus Dumbledore. Harry stared at the picture until Dumbledore moved out of frame. 

“What happened?” asked Harry, dumbstruck. “The picture- it-it moved!” 

Ron looked at Harry like he was completely mental. 

“Yea, the moving pictures shook me too,” said Selene. “When we stayed at the Leaky Cauldron over break, I jumped when I saw the picture in our room move.” 

“So Muggle pictures just  _ don’t move?”  _ Ron asked in awe. 

Harry and Selene laughed. 

“No, they just stay put,” Harry said. 

Ron asked him and Selene more questions about Muggles, which led to the discussion of cellphones. Selene’s brain ached by the end of the conversation, trying to explain phone calls to the clueless Ron. Thankfully, their conversation was cut short by a knock at their compartment door. A round-face boy whose face resembled a weasel came in with tear-filled eyes. 

“So-sorry, but have any of you seen a toad?” he asked meekly, crocodile tears streaming down his pudgy, chipmunk cheeks. 

Selene, Ron, and Harry shook their heads. The boy wailed. 

“It’s okay,” said Selene, trying to comfort the boy. “I’m sure he’ll turn up sometime.” 

The boy nodded his head and sniffled. 

“I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for you. In fact we all will- won’t we?” Selene looked to Ron and Harry. 

“Oh, yea, totally,” said Harry. 

“Uh huh,” mumbled Ron. 

“T-thanks,” he stuttered and left.

Selene thought she could still hear his pathetic wails all the way from the other side of the train.

“I think if I had a toad I would lose it as quickly as I could,” said Ron. 

“I don’t see how Scabbers is any better than a toad,” Selene said. 

Ron laughed. 

“I suppose that’s true. You know, if he died you wouldn’t know the difference,” he looked to the sleeping rat on his lap. “Fred and George gave me this spell a while ago that’s supposed to turn him yellow, but it didn’t work. I can show you…” 

He pulled his battered wand from the frayed sleeve of his coat. It was chipped all over the shaft and the core was poking out at the end. He raised it, ready to cast the spell, only to be interrupted by a girl with brown, bushy hair and bucked teeth at the compartment door. 

Any self-consciousness Selene felt about her teeth disappeared when she saw the girl standing at the door to their compartment. Selfishly, she was a little happy she wouldn’t have the largest teeth in their class with this girl around. 

“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost his,” she said with a rather bossy voice. 

“No, he came by looking for it earlier and we told him we hadn’t seen it,” said Selene. 

The bushy hair girl paid no mind to Selene; her eyes had zeroed in on the wand in Ron’s hand. 

“Are you doing magic? Let’s see it then.” 

She took the seat next to Selene, eyes trained on Ron. Ron cleared his throat. 

_ “Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,  _

_ Turn this stupid fat rat yellow”  _

Selene waited around for a reaction, but was grossly disappointed when nothing happened. She felt embarrassed for Ron. 

“I don’t think that’s a real spell, is it?” asked the bossy girl. “It’s certainly not very good. I come from Muggles, myself, but I’ve already tried a couple of spells for practice and they’ve all worked for me. I even learned all our books by heart. I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?” 

She said all of this rather fast, leaving Selene little time to process her words. 

“I’m Ron Weasley,” he muttered. 

“Selene Danner.” 

“Harry Potter.” 

Hermione’s eyes went wide. 

“Are you really  _ Harry Potter?  _ I’ve read about you in  _ Modern Magical History!”  _

“Oh, am I in that book?” Harry asked, confused. 

“Oh, I’m surprised you didn’t know,” said Hermione. 

Harry shrugged. 

“Well, what house do you think you’ll be in? I’ve asked around and I think I want to be in Gryffindor. Dumbledore was a Gryffindor, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad… I guess I’d better go look for Neville’s toad. You three had better change, I think we’ll be there soon.” 

“I hope I’m not in whatever house she’s in,” grumbled Ron the second after Hermione slid their compartment door shut. “My brothers were all sorted into Gryffindor… You said your mum went to Hogwarts, didn’t you, Selene? What house was she in?” 

“Slytherin,” answered Selene. 

Ron’s face went pale. 

“That’s the house You-Know-Who was in!” exclaimed Ron. “There hasn’t been a single bad wizard that hasn’t come from Slytherin!” 

Selene suddenly felt very defensive of her mom. Her mom, who gave over half their paycheck to charity, who made her children volunteer at soup-kitchens every holiday, and who had dedicated her whole life to become a doctor and protect the welfare of others. If there was such a thing as good and evil, Selene was absolutely and 100% positive her mom was good. 

“My mom isn’t a bad person,” said Selene, vehemently. 

“Of course not,” said Harry. 

The subject then drifted to Ron’s eldest brother who studied dragons in Romania and some wizarding sport called Quidditch. Ron was getting really excited, explaining the different teams and positions. As he spoke, three boys entered the compartment. Selene immediately recognized the pale, scowling boy from Flourish and Blotts. 

“So it’s true? You’re Harry Potter?” asked Draco. 

Harry nodded. Draco turned his cold eyes to Selene. 

“I remembered both of you Diagon Alley. My parents used to be friends with your mum, Selene. I expect you’ll be in Slytherin with me this year- you being a Selwyn and all.” 

Selene grimaced. Whatever house she was in, she prayed it wasn’t Slytherin. Selene didn’t know if she could handle spending seven long years with Draco Malfoy. 

“I’m Draco Malfoy,” he told Harry. “And this Crabbe and this is Goyle.” He nodded his head toward the large boys flanked on either side of him. Ron coughed, drawing Draco’s attention. Up until this point, Malfoy had completely ignored him. 

“Red hair, freckles, cheap clothes,” said Malfoy, surveying Ron up-and-down. “You must be a Weasley. My father told me all about your family. He told how much of a joke your father is at the Ministry and how he has more children than he could possibly afford.” 

Selene’s cheeks flushed in anger and her dark blue eyes were alight with fury. 

“I think the two of you will find some wizarding families are better than others. I can help you from making friends with the wrong sort.” 

“I think Selene and I can figure that out for ourselves, thanks,” said Harry very coolly. 

Malfoy’s cheeks reddened. 

“What about you, Selwyn? You wouldn’t want to disappoint your family, now would you?” 

“You’re right, I wouldn’t want to disappoint them by hanging with the likes of you,” said Selene. “And the last name isn’t Selwyn.” 

“The two of you really ought to be careful, spending time with trash like the Weasleys might rub off on you,” Draco sneered. 

“Say that again,” said Ron, jumping to his feet. 

Draco laughed, it was a cold and hollow sound. 

“Going to fight us?” 

“Leave, Malfoy,” Selene said in a low voice. 

Selene was slowly snaking her arm around her back, reaching for the wand she had carefully tucked in her back pocket. She didn’t know any spells, but she imagined she could at least do a little bit of damage to Malfoy. Maybe she’d blow him up like a balloon and have him float down the train’s corridors. Now, that would be even funnier than her sending that dog out the window. 

“I don’t think we want to. Do we boys?” he turned to Crabbe and Goyle. “You see, we’re terribly hungry and we’ve eaten all our food, but it seems you have some.” 

Goyle reached for a Chocolate Frog, but Scabbers had sunk his tiny, sharp teeth into Goyle’s fat knuckle. Goyle flung his hand around wildly, trying to dislodge Scabbers’ teeth from his flesh. Scabbers flew off after a couple of moments and hit the window of the train. The boys stumbled out of the train compartment. Hermione Granger decided to take this moment to reappear. She took a seat next to Selene again.

“What’s going on in here?” she asked. 

Ron was ignoring her and instead picking up Scabbers by his tail. 

“D’you think he’s been knocked out?” he asked Selene and Harry. He looked closer. “No, blimey, he’s gone back asleep… So both of you have met Malfoy before?” 

Harry explained his short meeting with him in the robe shop and Selene explained her unpleasant meeting with him in Flourish and Blotts. 

“So it’s true? You’re actually a Selwyn?” Ron asked in disbelief. “I bet you’re loaded.” 

“My mom’s a Selwyn, but I don’t know much about my family. I’ve never even met my grandparents. Is it like a big deal or something?” 

_ “Is it a big deal?  _ The Selwyn family is ancient and super rich. Every member of the family has been in Slytherin for centuries, they’re a huge deal in the house. I think they’re even second cousins with the Minister of Magic, or something like that,” explained Ron. “They’re a lot like the Malfoys, they both joined You-Know-Who during the war and then came back to our side afterward. They said they were under some spell, but dad says the Malfoys and the Selwyns didn’t need an excuse to join the Dark Side.” 

Selene didn’t know that her family had been on Lord Voldemort’s side during the war and she suddenly felt very grateful that her mom had kept her from her family. They must’ve been vile people to team up with the likes of the Dark Lord. 

“Is there something you need?” Ron asked Hermione, who he had tried to ignore in the hopes she would leave. It didn’t work. 

“I just wanted to say that you’d better put your robes on. I suspect we’ll be arriving soon.”


	5. The Sorting Ceremony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a good Christmas (if you celebrate it). Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Selene quickly changed before the train stopped at its destination. Stepping off the train, they were ushered aside by the largest man she had ever seen in her life. Standing as tall as a skyscraper, this man must’ve been at  _ least  _ eight feet tall; his large eyes were black as beetles and he wore a warm smile that was partially hidden beneath his big, bushy beard. 

“Firs’ years over here!” he yelled. 

When all the first years had assembled into a great, nervous crowd, the giant told them to get into boats; Selene got in with Harry and Ron. The boy with the lost toad got in after her and almost tipped it right into the icy water of the black lake. 

“Oi!” Ron yelled, trying to lean to correct Neville’s clumsiness. 

Thankfully, with Harry, Ron, and Selene working together, they managed to prevent it from tipping at the last minute, but not without some freezing water splashing on their new robes. 

“Careful now! Don’ wan’ to get eaten by the giant squid now, do ya?” the giant called out.

Selene wasn’t sure if he was joking about the squid, but she certainly didn’t want to find out. 

After the frigid boat ride through tunnels, caves, and beneath rocky cliffs, Selene spotted Hogwarts in the distance. It was  _ magnificent. _ Awe was etched across her face. It was a rather large castle, with thousands of twinkling lights in its windows, like stars. There must’ve been thousands of turrets and hundreds of additions. She already had a feeling she was going to get lost quite a bit. 

The boats stopped at a small harbor and Selene clambered out onto the rocky shore, kicking up small rocks and pebbles as she followed the crowd up numerous steps to the castle. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t out of breath by the end of their ascent. 

At the top of the stairs was a set of large, oak doors adjourned with great brass handles. The giant leading the first years grasped the cold brass in his gargantuan hand and gave three big knocks. The door swung open at once, spilling the light from Hogwarts’ entrance hall onto the anxious faces of the new students. 

Behind the doors waiting for them, was a woman in bottle green robes with a stern, hawk-like face. The large man turned to face the first years. 

“Fir’s years, this is Professor McGonagall,” he said. 

She gave a curt nod. 

“Thank you, Hagrid. I think I’ll take it from here,” she said, waving her hand as a way of dismissal. 

She led their group into the large entrance hall and across the ragged stone floor. Selene could hear hundreds of voices buzzing from the door to their right. 

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” said Professor McGonagall. “Before you take your seat at the start-of-term banquet, you must be sorted in your houses. This ceremony is very important; while you are here, your house will be like your family within Hogwarts. All of your classes will be with your house, you will sleep in your house dormitory, and free-time is spent in your house common room. 

“The four houses as you may know are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house its own history and each house has its own distinguishing qualities. While at Hogwarts, your successes can earn your house points, and any rule-breaking will result in a loss of points. Whichever house receives the most points by the end of term will win the house cup. 

“Now, the ceremony shall begin in just a few moments in front of the whole school. I will return when we are ready for you.” 

“How do you reckon they sort us?” asked Harry after McGonagall left. 

“Some sort of test, I suppose,” said Ron. “Fred and George told me we’d have to wrestle a troll, but I don’t think that’s true.” 

Selene thought about her wrestling a giant troll in front of the whole school and felt her heart give a fearful lurch. She tried to rack her brain for any conversation she’d had with her mom about spells she could possibly use, until she was reminded of something that calmed her fears. She remembered her and her mom’s talk over the summer in Flourish and Blotts. When asking her mom about her Hogwarts’ house, she told Selene that the Sorting Hat would tell her where to go. Selene’s erratic heartbeats slowed to a gentle thud. There would be no wrestling trolls (at least not tonight, that will come later in this term). No, all she would have to do is deal with a hat. Selene thought she could do that. 

“My mom mentioned some sort of hat, whatever that means,” she said. 

“A  _ hat?”  _ asked Ron. “That’s just bloody ridiculous.” 

Selene shrugged. 

“Just something I heard, is all.” 

Harry and Ron were discussing different possible scenarios for their impending Sorting Ceremony, each one more ridiculous than the last. Ron suggested that maybe they’d have to duel someone and Harry suggested that maybe they’d have to fight a giant tarantula (Ron didn’t look too thrilled about that one). While they discussed, about 20 ghosts came from the wall on their backside. One of them, wearing a Britney Spears T-Shirt, floated right by Selene. Embarrassingly, she jumped back, only to see Ron do the same. 

A pudgy ghost with a frilly collar introduced himself to the students near Selene as the “Ghost of Hufflepuff” and as the “Fat Friar.” Selene thought that name suited him very well. 

“And what are you the ghost of?” Selene asked the Britney Spears fan. 

The ghost looked disinterested. 

“Oh, me? Well, I suppose I’m the Ghost of Disappointment,” she replied in her most morose, melodramatic voice that could only possibly belong to a dead teenager. Apparently, killing teenagers didn’t rid them of their hormones. 

Selene wasn’t quite sure what to say to this. 

“Oh, all right, then,” she responded rather awkwardly. 

Fate must’ve been somewhat on Selene’s side that night, because Professor McGonagall had chosen that very moment to return and Selene didn’t have to suffer a moment longer with the overdramatic ghost.

“Form a line and follow me,” commanded McGonagall. 

Selene stood in line, wedged between Harry and Ron. Opening two great doors, McGonagall ushered them into the Great Hall. 

Selene immediately felt the air leave her lungs. Thousands of candles were suspended in midair, seemingly levitating in what looked to be the night sky. Millions of stars were twinkling in the brilliant, swirling hues of purple, black, blue, and gray of the sky. There was a full moon and despite its blinding light, it somehow didn’t put the stars to death. Selene peered at the enchanted ceiling, picking out the Big and Little Dipper from the innumerable constellations. 

McGonagall placed a small, wooden stool at the very front of the Great Hall and right near the teachers’ table. She put a large, ragged hat on the center of the stool. 

_ “I told you it was a hat!”  _ Selene whispered, poking Ron in the back. 

_ “Oh, alright,”  _ he said. 

The hat came alive seconds later, opening its large mouth to sing. With an ascending melody, he sang of the houses and the qualities they possessed. There was something about Gryffindors and their chivalry, Ravenclaws and their intelligence, Hufflepuffs and their loyalty, and Slytherins and their cunning. When the hat finished his tune, the whole hall broke into raucous applause. 

Professor McGonagall appeared in front of the first years once again, this time with a long roll of parchment. Using her long, slender hands, she unfurled it and called out: 

“Abbott, Hannah!” 

A small girl with pink, rosy cheeks and blonde pigtails stumbled up to the stool. She sat down and the hat was placed on her head. 

Immediately, it yelled, “HUFFLEPUFF!” 

The table on the far right whistled and cheered and Hannah joined them. 

After Hannah Abbott was Bones, Susan (Hufflepuff), followed by Boot, Terry (Ravenclaw). Lavender Brown was the first amongst them to join Gryffindor. McGonagall moved further down her list into the C’s and Selene knew she was going to come up soon. She spent her time trying to prepare herself for the Ceremony. 

_ I don’t think Hufflepuff would be too bad, would it? Ravenclaw certainly sounds cool… maybe even Gryffindor… as long as it’s not Slytherin…  _

Selene was abruptly taken from her thoughts when she heard McGonagall yell out:

“Danner, Selene!” 

_ “Good luck,”  _ whispered Harry.

Selene clambered up to the stool. McGonagall placed the dusty hat over her brown curls. Expecting the hat to sort her as easily as the others before her, she was surprised at the silence that followed after it was placed on her head. She was all too aware that the entirety of the Great Hall was focused intently on her. Afterall, it wasn’t everyday that the Sorting Hat had trouble placing students in their houses. Selene’s cheeks reddened. 

“Curious, how curious, indeed…” the hat mumbled. “There’s a loyalty to you that would do well in Hufflepuff- but a great deal of wit and desire to learn that would be perfect in Ravenclaw.” 

The hat went quiet for another moment.  _ Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad, would it?  _

“Ah- but what’s this?” said the Sorting Hat. “You have nerve and  _ a lot  _ of it- almost too much of it for your own good. I think Gryffindor may be a good fit for you… hmmm… but there’s a cunning to you. Ah, another Selwyn… how could I not see that before? There’s ambition there and a deathly sharp tongue. Yes, Slytherin would be a good fit for  _ most  _ Selwyns, but there  _ is  _ a peculiarity to you. Your mother was a peculiar one, as well…” 

The hat went silent once more. Selene squirmed in her seat.

“This is tricky, but I see so clearly before you two destinies- both of which are equally as great. However, they are two seperate paths. Do I put you in Gryffindor- in the den of lions? Or, do I put you in Slytherin- in the serpent’s nest? I’ve seen many generations of Selwyn Slytherins before you and many generations after you, but something is telling me your destiny lies in- GRYFFINDOR!” 

The hat’s announcement was met with roar of applause from the Gryffindor table. Selene practically ran to her new house, desperate to take the many pairs of eyes off her. She plopped down at the table, anxious to see where Ron and Harry would wind up. 

Seamus Finnegan and Hermione were the next to join Gryffindor and to Selene’s surprise, as did Neville. He was so excited about his placement that he tried skipping to the Gryffindor table and ended up tripping on his long robes. He landed particularly hard on the cold stone floor. The Great Hall laughed at him, none harder than Malfoy, and Selene felt bad enough to offer him a seat next to her at the table. 

The Sorting Ceremony was complete when both Ron and Harry were sorted into Gryffindor. The latter’s sorting was a great cause of celebration for the Gryffindors. Fred and George Weasley were so ecstatic, they yelled out for the entirety of the Great Hall to hear: 

“WE’VE GOT POTTER! WE’VE GOT POTTER!” 

Ron and Harry had found Selene amongst the crowd and taken their seats beside her and Neville. 

Albus Dumbledore, a man Selene recognized from her mom’s history book she’d given her over the summer, stood to address the Great Hall. Selene laughed quietly to herself, taking in his appearance- his bright blue eyes, hidden beneath half-moon spectacles and his great, long white beard, made him  _ strongly  _ resemble Gandalf. Selene died nearly thinking of all the jokes Cole would’ve made if he were here. 

“Welcome! Welcome to Hogwarts!” his voice boomed, echoing off the cathedral-like ceiling. “Let the feast begin!” 

With an elegant wave of his wand, a variety of food appeared at once on the golden platters in front of Selene. There were so many different types of cakes, roasts, and sides that Selene didn’t know where to start. She figured mashed potatoes were always a safe bet and loaded up her plate with a tiny mountain of them, topped off with the creamiest gravy she’d ever had. 

She had finished her mashed potatoes and went back for some turkey, when Harry’s hand shot to the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. 

_ “Ouch!”  _ he gasped in pain. 

“Everything okay?” she asked. 

Harry nodded and turned to the Weasley sibling to his right. Judging by the glasses and the shiny prefect badge, Selene gathered that this must’ve been Percy Weasley. Ron mentioned him a few times on the train and the resemblance between the two was almost uncanny. 

“Who’s that talking to Professor Quirrell?” he asked Percy, pointing to the staff table to a man whose dark black hair was just positively dripping with grease. It wasn’t an over exaggeration to say that he looked like he conditioned his hair with McDonald’s fry oil. 

“Oh, that’s Professor Snape, he teaches potions, but it’s no secret that he wants Quirrell’s job. Knows a bit too much about the Dark Arts, Snape,” replied Percy between bites of roasted potatoes. 

Selene followed Harry’s eyes to the staff table, where she met the brilliant eyes of Albus Dumbledore. He was looking at her closely, curiosity alight in his eyes like stars. When he saw her looking, his lips upturned in a gentle smile. Selene looked away quickly, accidentally meeting the dark, cloudy eyes of Professor Severus Snape. His eyes widened in shock when he peered into her blue eyes in a look that strangely resembled  _ fear?  _ No, that couldn’t be possible. What reason would be cause enough for a grown adult to fear an eleven-year-old? 

The feast was finished after the plates were cleared away with another flick of Dumbledore’s wand. He spoke for the last time, reminding the school they’re not supposed to go into the Forbidden Forest or some corridor on the third-floor. When he finished his speech about school rules, he ordered the school to sing a horribly off-key rendition of the school song. Selene didn’t know it, but she followed the lyrics, singing proudly. 

The school song finished and Percy Weasley led the Gryffindors up countless flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room. Selene made it through the portrait hole and up the stairs to their dormitory. She fell asleep the minute her head hit the pillow, absolutely stuffed from their feast and content with her new home and friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Selene starts her classes and makes some new friends


	6. Transfiguration Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be longer and be more entertaining, this was originally apart of that chapter, but I had to split it up or else it would be like super-duper long and I don't think anyone would want it that way. I also know that I'm super impatient and I wouldn't want to wait almost 2 weeks for another update, so here this chapter is. I really think you guys will enjoy the original characters and I loved developing them. Thank you for reading.

Professor McGonagall handed out class schedules the next morning at breakfast. Ron read it aloud while Selene took bites of oatmeal. First up was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and then Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. Their schedule for the first day sounded all well and good. 

Ron tore a chunk off a sausage link and went to read their schedule for tomorrow. 

_“Not Potions with the Slytherins!”_ he said, spitting sausage bits all over the schedule and spewing grease onto Selene’s robes. 

Apparently the schedule for their second day of school wouldn’t be nearly as satisfactory as their first day’s schedule. First thing in the morning, they were to report to Snape’s icy dungeon for a grueling ninety minutes. Selene was dreading it, but she was trying not to think about it. First, she’d have to get through the day ahead of her. Then, she could worry about her Potions lesson with Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy. 

So, Selene wiped the grease off her robes, finished her oatmeal, and set out across the plush, green lawn of Hogwarts to the Herbology Greenhouses. 

The class was taught by Professor Sprout, Head of House for the Hufflepuffs. On the first day, she had their class pair up to re-pot some dittany. Harry and Ron partnered and Selene didn’t feel like pairing with Hermione, so she joined a friendly-looking Hufflepuff. 

“I’m Lucia,” she introduced herself, extending a gloved hand to Selene. 

With envy, Selene saw how Lucia’s hair gleamed like spun gold in the rays of sun coming in through the greenhouse windows. Her blue eyes were so bright that they were almost clear- like a stream; but Lucia smiled so warmly at Selene that she couldn’t stay envious for too long. Not with someone as naturally friendly and good natured as Lucia. 

She shook her hand. 

“I’m Selene.” 

They went about their work, uprooting the dittany from small pots and planting them in larger ones better suited to their change in size. Selene wasn’t particularly good at this; she’d accidentally damaged the roots on a couple of plants and overwatered a few, as well. If Lucia was annoyed at this, she didn’t let it show. Instead, she smiled brightly at Selene and helped her dig up the last of their dittany. 

“Do you know Braedan Masters?” asked Lucia, watering her plant. “He’s in Gryffindor, too.” 

She pointed to a small boy working with Neville. His face was dotted with freckles and he had really shaggy brown hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a comb in a couple of days. When he saw Lucia looking in his direction, he shot her and Selene a wide, dimpled smile. 

“I haven’t met him yet,” said Selene. 

“Well, our friend Edmund told us that McGonagall loves to give a quiz to first years during the first week of school. He’s a second year, so he said he’d help me and Braedan study- and he’s in Ravenclaw so you know he knows what he’s talking about. We’ll be in the library tomorrow during breakfast if you want to join us.” 

“I think I’ll be there. I think I’ll definitely need all the help I can get.” 

Lucia smiled, they spent the lesson talking and the rest of their work lay forgotten. 

After Herbology, Selene hiked back up to the castle with dirt and bits of dittany root caked under her fingernails. She washed up as quickly as she could before Transfiguration and rushed off with Ron and Harry to class. 

The greenhouses had been easy enough to find, but finding Professor McGonagall’s classroom was like trying to find a needle in a haystack or Waldo. Hogwarts was a maze with thousands of rooms and hundreds of classrooms. To make things harder, all of the staircases moved or had some peculiarity to them.

For example, there was a staircase on the fifth floor with a step that would scream if you stepped on it. There was another staircase (this one is on the fourth floor), where if you stepped on the fifth step from the bottom, your leg would get stuck. Selene learned this from a _very_ embarrassing personal experience. Her foot got caught on the way to McGonagall’s and it took both Ron and Harry yanking her to free her from the step. Selene thought by the end of the ordeal that her shoulder must’ve been dislocated with how hard they pulled her arm. 

To make matters worse, the ghost of the Britney Spears fan thought the whole situation was hysterical and followed Selene around laughing at her. But weirdly enough, the ghost seemed to have taken enough of a liking to her to stop laughing for a second, pointing them in the direction of McGonagall’s classroom. 

All of this chaos with the shifting staircases and the annoying ghost caused their tardiness to their first Transfiguration lesson. McGonagall, seemingly not wanting to make a habit of their lateness, decided to dock five house points from each of them as a warning. This had Selene in a bad mood; it was only their first day and she’d already lost Gryffindor points.

McGonagall put another damper on her mood when she decided to make them take pages and pages of notes on a presentation entitled: _Introduction to Gamp’s Laws of Elemental Transfiguration._ Selene hadn’t used a quill before and found that she really hated having to replace her ink every five seconds to write something new. She also hated how hard it was to write with them- her handwriting was usually a mess, but the quills made it look scratchy and uneven, like chicken scrawl. 

She decided she’d had enough of this and reached into her bag to pull out a Papermate pen. _If wizards want to live in the Stone Age then it’s their decision, but I’m part-Muggle,_ thought Selene. She put the pen to her parchment and began to write again in smoother strokes: _Gamp states in Rule 6 that it is impossible to produce food out of thin air- you can summon it but not-_

Selene felt someone snatch her pen from her hand. 

“We put quills on the supply list for a reason, Ms. Danner. Five more points from Gryffindor,” said McGonagall. 

Selene felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and shame. Because of her, Gryffindor had now lost 20 points in total, and it was only the first day. If it wasn’t for Harry and Ron helping pull her out of the staircase on the fourth floor, they never would’ve been late. To make matters worse, Hermione Granger started lecturing Selene when McGonagall turned her back. 

“Rules _are_ rules,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Quills are made by wizards and are easier to enchant than pens. Honestly, Selene, have you not read Doris MacNair’s _1001 Magickal Devices and their Place in the Wizarding World?”_

“No,” said Selene. “But I think I’ll get to it after I finish Darius Cadwell’s _1001 Ways to Hex your Classmates._ ” 

Hermione scoffed. 

“You made that up.” 

“Want to test that theory? There’s this Horn-Growing Hex that I’ve just been _itching_ to try.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, but it seemed like she couldn’t quite tell if Selene was kidding, so she kept quiet- for the most part. 

Finally, after taking at least ten pages worth of notes, McGonagall had decided it was time they tried out Transfiguration first-hand. With a wave of her wand, she transformed her desk into a pig. 

“Now, you obviously won’t start with a Transfiguration this complex as first years, but in the future if you pass your O.W.L.S. and decide to take my class at a N.E.W.T. level, you will experiment with spells at a greater level of difficulty. Today, however, we will focus on turning a match into a needle.”

Hermione helped McGonagall pass the matches out and returned her seat next to Selene when she was done. Professor McGonagall went through the motions of showing the class how to turn their wooden match into a metal needle. 

The whole class then went about trying to transform their match. Seamus Finnigan was waving his wand wildly until he accidentally jabbed Dean Thomas in the eye and cost Gryffindor more points. Ron seemed to be having just as much luck with his match as Seamus. In fact, the only person who’d managed to change their match in the slightest was Hermione- the tip of it had a slight point to it and it turned a weird greyish/silvery color. It wasn’t perfect, but it was more than anyone else had accomplished. 

McGonagall came to inspect their work and gushed over Hermione’s match, awarding Gryffindor five points for “Hermione’s excellent work.” 

Selene wasn’t annoyed that Hermione had managed to change her match, if anything she would’ve been happy that at least _someone_ had accomplished McGonagall’s seemingly impossible task, but Hermione had decided it was her duty to teach everyone around her. 

“You’re doing it _wrong,”_ she told Selene. “You have to point your wand like _this.”_ She moved her wand around in an elegant manner.

Selene felt her temper start to get the better of her. Her anger felt like a snake in her belly, uncurling and getting ready to strike. _I’ll show her._

Selene jabbed her wand at her match and to her surprise, it transformed before her eyes into a perfect needle- which was more than Hermione had managed to accomplish. Selene would be lying if she said she didn’t get at least a _tiny_ amount of satisfaction when she saw the shocked look on Hermione’s face. The snake in her belly went back to sleep, content.

McGonagall came to inspect her work. 

_“My,_ Ms. Danner! I’ve _never_ in all my years of teaching, had a first year master rudimentary Transfiguration on their first day! Fifteen points to Gryffindor!” 

She held Selene’s perfect needle up for the class to see and spent the rest of the class beaming at her and praising her work. When the bell rang, the students shuffled around, grabbing up textbooks and rounding up loose pieces of parchment. 

“Quiz next class over Gamp’s Laws! Except for you, Ms. Danner! _Excellent_ work today!” McGonagall cried out as her class began to leave. 

Selene noted with a slight gratification that Hermione Granger looked as if she might cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Selene meets Professor Snape and some more friends...


	7. Update

I really just want everyone to know that I haven’t given up on this, I still love writing and this story- but I’ve had a bunch of personal stuff happen that I won’t go into too much detail on. When it’s over I’ll start updating a lot more. Thanks for sticking with it, it really makes me happy especially with everything happening. Love you guys 💕


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